


Sour Cherry Scones

by orphan_account



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: AU, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Fluff, M/M, Multi, SnowBaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23811424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: An AU where Simon owns a cafe with Penelope and Baz is a regular visitor.
Relationships: Penelope Bunce/Shepard, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 12
Kudos: 83





	1. Chapter 1

**_Baz_ **

I wake up to the sound of my alarm going off. Reaching out for my phone, snooze it, and check my notifications. There wasn’t much that was new so I switch off my phone and head to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I grab a pair of jeans and a grey button-up. The weather also looked a little grey so I grab a black knitted sweater and throw it over my shirt, fixing the collar as I looked in the mirror. My hair had dried most of the way at this point and I just ran my hand through my shoulder-length hair. Maybe I should get a haircut soon.

Looking down at my phone, it was only 7:30 am and work did not start until 8:00 so I took my time slipping on a pair of black ankle boots, making sure I had my keys, phone, and wallet. Stepping into the elevator, I press the button to the garage and wait for the elevator to go down. After two stops between the 17th and garage floor, I finally stepped out and headed towards the red BMW parked near the middle. I had gotten it as a gift from my stepmother after I graduated from college. Although I wouldn’t exactly pick something so flashy, I was grateful that she at least knew I existed. My father just likes to pretend like he can’t hear or see me, especially after I came out to him as I left for college. If I came out any earlier, he would’ve kicked me out if I wasn’t moving out already.

Climbing into the car, I start it and drive it out of the parking lot and down the streets of San Francisco. Although I was born in London, I moved to San Francisco where I was far, far away from my father. Although I miss my stepmother and my stepsisters, I was not risking running into my father whilst going or work or worse, on a date. I pulled my car into the garage of the company I worked for before stepping outside again. I had twenty minutes to find a place for breakfast then rush back to the office. I was just out of the garage when I caught a whiff of cherry scones and tea from across the street. Just to the smell of the scones bring me back home. 

Quickly, I cross the street to the newly opened cafe across the street from my office. The delicious aroma only heightened as I got closer. I push the door open and felt the warmth of the shop wash over me. I look up to see the most beautiful boy I could have ever seen in my life. Messy bronze curls sat on top of his head paired with bright blue eyes. There were moles dotting his face and down his neck. It took quite a bit of self-restraint to not just go up there and start connecting them on his face. 

“Hello! And welcome to Tea and Scones Cafe! My name is Simon, what can I get you today?” the boy named Simon says in an English accent. Was Simon from the UK as well?

“Hello,” I say, looking up at the menu, “I’d like an earl grey black tea and a cherry scone for here please.”

“Great choice! The sour cherry scones are my personal favorite!” Simon says enthusiastically. 

“I’ll take two then,” I say without thinking.

“Of course, will there be anything else?”

“No, that will be it,” I say, handing a twenty-dollar bill to him, “Keep the change.”

“Thank you!” Simon says with a bright smile that seemed to make my heart beat just a little faster. “Here’s your receipt, and I’ll be out with your order in a second!”

I take a seat to wait for my order, not once taking my eyes off the gorgeous boy. If it meant I had to get up early to see him every day, I would gladly do so.

**_Simon_ **

The mornings at the cafe Penelope and I own are usually pretty quiet. It isn’t until around lunchtime when people start coming in. Because of this, Penny and I decided to add sandwiches to the menu. Those have been a huge hit, and we were even considering adding fruity drinks or smoothies as time went on. The door opens, letting in a draft of cool San Francisco air into the little shop. Penelope and I both decided to move here after college since she wanted to see more of the world, and honestly, I couldn’t live without my best friend so I came with her. I also needed a change of scenery at that time as well, my girlfriend of two years, Agatha, broke up with me. Ever since then, I realized I was bisexual and gladly accepted it. 

In the doorway was the most perfect boy I’ve ever seen. Fair skin, inky shoulder-length hair growing from a widow’s peak and grey eyes that look like they’ve been mixed from blue and green. He was wearing a grey collared shirt under a black sweater and a pair of jeans. The jeans look like they’ve been made for him specifically. Hugging his hips in just the right way and not a centimeter longer or shorter. 

“Hello! And welcome to Tea and Scones cafe! My name is Simon, what can I get you today?” I say as casually as I can. 

“Hello,” he says in an English accent much like mine before looking up at the menu. “I’d like an earl grey black tea and a cherry scone please.”

“Great choice! The sour cherry scones are my personal favorite!” I blab like an idiot. Instead of laughing, he only smiles and says “I’ll take two then.”

A little shocked, I continue, “Of course, will there be anything else?”

“No, that’ll be it,” he says, handing me a twenty-dollar bill. I hadn’t even told him the price of his order yet. “Keep the change.”

“Thank you!” I say, beaming, you don’t exactly get a huge tip from a gorgeous boy every day and, well, not to mention that the tip was bigger than the price of his order. “Here’s your receipt and I’ll be right out in a second!” I say, handing him the receipt and praying to god that my face was not flaming as I went to the back to get the earl grey tea leaves. My face was flaming. As I went back out the front to get two cherry scones out of the display case and onto a plate with the tea, I couldn’t help but notice the boy watching me work. This only made me blush harder as I willed my hands not to shake nervously as I walked the food over to his table.

“Thank you, Simon,” he says smiling, “My name is Baz.”

“You’re welcome Baz,” I say grinning like an idiot, placing the food on the table. 

“Are you new to the area?” he asks, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“No,” I say, “Penny and I opened this shop a couple of weeks ago, but we’ve been living in San Francisco for about a year now. We’re both from London and we both miss home incredibly, so we decided to start a shop selling tea and scones to bring home with us.” 

“Is Penny your girlfriend?” Baz asks, eyebrows wrinkling ever so slightly.

I laugh, “No way, she’s my best friend since high school, she’s more like a sister than anything else.”

“Oh,” he says, with what seems like relief on his face.

“Enjoy your food!” I say before going back behind the counter. I continue to busy myself with wiping down the counters, then the display case, then the mini-fridge in the front. There was no amount of cleaning that could distract me from the beautiful boy sitting five feet away from me. I kept finding myself looking at him and when he looks up from his phone, meeting my eyes, I look down and blush furiously as I continue to wipe down the counter for the fifth time. 

Around ten minutes later, Baz comes over to ask for a to-go bag and I hand him a small paper bag. As he takes the bag from me, our fingers brush and I could not help but notice how warm his hand is. He thanks me before heading out of the shop, looking back and smiling before stepping out the door. At the same time, Penelope steps through the door, looking between me and our new customer, Baz with a raised eyebrow. She spots how red my face is before smirking and saying in a sing-song voice, “Somebody’s got a crush!”

“Oh lay off Penny, I’ve just met him and well, I have to say, he’s got a good taste for tea and scones,” I say, willing for the blush on my face to fade.

This only makes her smirk wider, “Somebody has a crush indeed.”


	2. Chapter 2

**_Baz_ **

The whole day through work I find myself dozing off, staring into space, and thinking about Simon. He is like all the sunshine in the world stuffed into a beautiful person. I could not stop thinking about how his fingers brushed mine when he had handed me the paper bag. They were so warm and I could just imagine them intertwining with mine. To say that I had a crush on this boy would be a bit of an understatement.

“Baz? Baz? Earth to Baz!”

I snap out of my thoughts and look up to see Erica, my manager. She has also become one of my close friends here in San Francisco. Out of everyone in the office, she was the one who accepted me the most here because everyone else thinks I’m some rich snob here to ruin their jobs. The truth was, even when my stepmother sends money every month for me to use, I always put it in a savings account and end up spending on gifts for her and my sisters back in London. I didn’t want to live off of something I didn’t earn and my job paid well enough to live comfortably.

“Yeah? Sorry, I dazed off a little for a second,” I say with an apologetic smile.

“A minute? More like for the past hour! Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch, I have no idea what’s gotten into you, but you have not said a word about my bad fashion sense the whole day through and today’s one of the bad days,” Erica says, bewildered. 

I furrow my eyebrows at her. She was right, Erica never had much of a fashion sense and it was only a matter of time before I have to take her shopping, but today was a whole other level. She was wearing an oversized floral purple sweater over a black maxi skirt. Her hair was frizzy and loose. And don’t even get me started on her shoes, bright green Crocs that I only think are suitable for strolling on the beach and nothing else. I’m pretty sure that a granny from the 1800s dressed better than her at this point.

“Crowley, something’s gotten into me for sure,” I say, “Your outfit deserves the World Guinness Record for the most hideous tablecloth to exist.”

She throws her head back and laughs, “There’s the Baz I know coming back, but seriously, get started on your work, the deadline’s this Friday. I have no idea what got into you earlier, but you better hustle. I’ve never seen you space out this much since- OH MY GOD Baz you have a crush on someone don’t you?”

I throw her a glare, “First of all Erica, you are the manager here, please lower your voice, and second, I have no idea what you are talking about.” I pray that my face is not on fire.

“Aww, you do have a crush on someone,” Erica beams a little quieter, “Just look at your face, it’s as red as a tomato!”

I sigh, “That’s it, Erica I’ll do my work, you leave me alone, and clear your schedule, we’re going shopping tonight.”

“Come on Baz! You know how much I hate shopping! I’d do anything else than that!”

“It is not professional,” I say, “To wear what you are wearing to the office every day. And you are the manager here!”

She lets out a frustrated breath, “Fine,” she says, “But you have to tell me who your crush is!”

“We’ll see,” I say. 

**_Simon_ **

I don’t know how I ended up at the mall at 7 pm after my shift. Penelope offered to take over for the rest of the night and told me to head to the mall on my way home and pick up some more shampoo for her. I agreed and kind of stumbled off, mind still on the gorgeous boy I met this morning. I only spent the whole day daydreaming of him and his hair, wanting to run my hands through it, to know how soft it was. Then, of course, there was Penelope, teasing me about how much I looked off into the distance. I think that was why I agreed to leave early.

Anyways, now here I am, looking through the shelves of some posh shop looking for the shampoo bottle that Penelope sent me through text earlier. I was scanning the top shelves when I finally found the purple bottle of plum scented shampoo. I went to reach for it, but of course, I was only about an inch short. I was 5’10 for God’s sake and even I couldn’t reach it, I would have no idea how other people would be able to. 

I hop a little, hoping that I could at least slide it a little closer to the edge, but of course, I end up knocking it over, making it even harder to reach. Swearing under my breath quietly, I was about to try again when someone reaches over my shoulder to grabs the bottle of shampoo I’ve been trying to painfully get down. 

“Need a hand?” a familiar voice sounds behind me.

A wave of bergamot and cedarwood floods to my senses as I turn around to see Baz. What type of cliche is this? I meet a hot boy at work then bump into him while at the mall. It’s like I’m in some fanfiction or some sappy romance novel that Penelope reads so much. 

“Yeah,” I say, embarrassed, “Thanks.”

“Not a problem,” Baz says with a smile.

“So, um, what brings you to the mall?” I stumble out.

“Well, my friend Erica needed a wardrobe makeover really badly. I’ll bet that she dresses worse than a granny from the 1800s! Not to mention, she’s the manager of the company I work at, it was just not professional for her to wear what she was wearing.” Baz says, chuckling a little.

Smiling, I say, “Maybe you should invite her to the cafe in the morning sometime? I’d like to meet your girlfriend,” I found flying out of my mouth before I realized what I was even saying. 

Baz only starts laughing harder as the words leave my mouth and I blush from embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry,” he says after catching his breath, “If you got the wrong impression. Erica is just my friend and well, I’m not straight. I’m hopelessly queer.”

I only find myself blushing harder, “Oh gods, I’m sorry for just assuming and just-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Baz says with a comical smile, “There was just a little misunderstanding.”

“Yeah,” I say. Congratulations Simon, you just created the biggest train wreck of a conversation to ever happen on the face of Earth. 

We walk over to the cashier register and pay for our items before heading out. 

“Are you walking home?” Baz asks as we reach the main entrance of the mall.

“Yeah,” I say.

“Would you like a ride?” 

“You don’t have to-” I start.

“Really, it’s no problem,” Baz says.

“Okay then,” I say.

We get into his bright red BMW and he gets the car started. I type the address of mine and Penelope’s apartment into his phone and hand it back to him. He places the phone on a magnetic stand and starts driving. The drive home was a little awkward, with occasional small talk about the places we’ve been and restaurants we like. 

Arriving at my apartment, I almost don’t want to get out of the car. The warmth and scent of bergamot and cedarwood may something to do with it. We exchange goodbyes and I head towards the main door of the apartment building. I turn around one last time to see that Baz was still there, making sure I got inside the building safely. I blush a little, even in the cold San Francisco air, and step inside. 

**_Erica_ **

After a whole 2 hours of torturous shopping, I finally managed to convince Baz that was enough for the day. I ended up with four bags of new clothing that are nowhere as comfortable as my old clothes. But of course, they weren’t “professional” enough. I was just about to leave when I saw a little food stall was selling my favorite type of cheesecake: mango cheesecake. So, of course, I stopped by and bought myself a slice.

Just as I sat down to eat it, I spot Baz in a fancy soap store talking to a rather cute boy with bronze curls. The boy was blushing red and Baz was laughing almost hysterically. And let me tell you, I’ve known Baz for two years and never have I ever seen him laugh this hard before. Not even when I showed him a hilarious cat video online. And well, maybe Baz didn’t tell me who he had a crush on, but I’m pretty sure I have it figured it out. Especially the way he looks at the boy in that store over there, he’s practically in love. 

It would be nice if he admitted it sometime this century.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying the fanfic so far.:) I've decided that I'll post every Thursday, but if you guys are lucky, I might post a little more often than that on the quieter weeks where my schoolwork isn't killing me. Don't worry about me abandoning this fic, there's no way I'd let my cinnamon rolls not have a happy ending. Anyways, enough rambling from me, I hope you guys have a good day! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**_Penelope_ **

Simon won’t admit it, but I know he’s definitely got more than just a crush on this guy named Baz. I can tell from the way that he keeps looking off into space the whole day at work, only snapping out of it when I start yelling his name. I decided to let him off early today since he wasn’t much help with zoning out every spare second he’s got. I did ask him to pick up some more shampoo for me at the mall though, hoping that he doesn’t get lost while lost in his head. I really don’t know how to help him at this point.

All I’m hoping is that whatever happens between Simon and Baz won’t end up in flames. I can’t even start to describe what Simon was like when Agatha broke up with him. He just curled up on the couch, refusing sleep, food, and TV. All he did was sit there and mindlessly stare at nothing at all. I finally decided that it was time for a change and moved to San Francisco. He, of course, came along after little persuasion, saying that he needed a fresh start.

I wipe the counters and take the little chalkboard sign back inside the shop as I start closing up. Sweeping the floor for any crumbs, then mopping the floor to get rid of any spilled tea or drinks. I was just about to close the doors when someone walks in. It was Micah, my boyfriend. I don’t mention him a whole lot to Simon because I’ve already gotten to a point where we are comfortable with talking and texting without being clingy. 

“Hey, Micah! What are you doing here at this hour?” I say. Micah and I met when I was working for a bookshop about a year ago. We shared similar tastes in books and started talking more often every time he came around. Soon enough, we went on a first date and well, fell into a relationship. I love him dearly but to be honest, I feel like communication between us lately has been a little strained. 

“Penelope,” he says, strange, he doesn’t usually call me by my name, it was usually “Penny” or something along the lines of that. 

“What is it?” I ask, suddenly feeling my stomach start to twist a little. Was it the pasta I had for dinner tonight?

“I- It’s just- we need to talk.”

“Well, we’re talking right now.”

“Penelope, I think it’s time for us to move on. I’ve been thinking about it lately, and well, communication isn’t as great as it used to be. I don’t even feel the spark anymore. I think- I think we should break up.”

I feel like I’ve just been hit by a truck. I suddenly can’t breathe and my vision gets blurry with hot tears. I don’t know what to say so I just let out a little sob before burying my face in my hands. I would never let other people besides Simon see me like this but I couldn’t really hold it back this time. 

“Get out!” I scream, unexpected energy coming out of me.

“Penelope, I’m sor-”

“Get out!” I scream again, “If you really are sorry, you would get out!”

He doesn’t need to be told twice before turning around and walking out the door, leaving a trail of dirty footprints on my cleanly mopped floor. I swear under my breath; an uncommon thing I do, before going to the back to get the mop and clean up his footprints. If he was going to just break up with me instead of addressing the issues in their relationship, then fine. I will erase from my life like I erased his dirty footprints.

**_Agatha_ **

The memory still emerges in my mind from time to time. Then the guilt comes to bite me before I try to escape it again. The truth was, I didn’t love Simon, and that was that. I only dated him because there were so many people constantly trying to pressure us together. In the end, it was just easier to give in than to go against the rumors. That’s where the guilt comes from: when I broke up with Simon. He looked so broken, but I couldn’t tie myself to him for the rest of my life. And as hard as it is to admit, I was kind of talking to someone else all the while.

About three months before I broke up with Simon, I stumbled upon an email address on a slip of paper in my library book I had checked out. I know I shouldn’t have, but I opened up a new browser on my laptop and emailed this mysterious person. They responded the next day, thanking me for telling them that their email address had been written on a piece of paper and put into a book.

This person said that someone had tried to blackmail him and started leaving his personal information in public places. Soon enough, we had struck a conversation between books and movies, and well, I hate to admit it, but I developed a crush for this anonymous person. They revealed themselves as a male but said nothing else. 

When I had problems in my relationship with Simon, I always consulted this person and they always helped me out. They were the reason I actually had the courage to break up with Simon. When I suggested that we meet in person, he denied it, saying that it wasn’t right, especially since he had helped me break up with my boyfriend. He said that we shouldn’t talk anymore after this and hasn’t responded to my emails ever since.

I’ve been in a few relationships after Simon but they never lasted long. I think it’s because I’m still waiting for this mysterious stranger to come into my life. I know the likelihood of it happening is very little, but a girl could always hope. 

I was getting ready for bed when I decided to check my emails. Opening a tab, type in the link, and logging in. There was an email from my boss, with a schedule for the next week, an advertisement from a pet shop website, another advertisement from H&M about their newest sale, then I stop. Right under the email from H&M was an unopened email from the last person I had expected to contact me. The mysterious stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for a short chapter! I'll try my best to make it up in the next chapter. Thanks for reading everyone! Also remember to leave comments if you have any suggestions! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**_Simon_ **

It wasn’t until 9 pm when Penny finally came home. Our apartment wasn’t the fanciest one in the city, but it was comfortable. There are two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a small living room, and a little balcony. 

There was a jangle of keys before the door opened to a crying Penelope. My first instinct had me flying to the door and wrapping her in a hug.

“What’s wrong Penny?” I ask. She doesn’t say anything, shaking her head and burying herself deeper into my t-shirt. There was only one way to get her to talk. I lead her to the kitchen where she finally lets go of my t-shirt and buries herself into her own arms. I heat a pot of water on the stove and reach into the cabinet for some cups. Setting them down on the table, I grab two teabags from a little jar and place them into the cups. Getting a plate from the dishwasher, I open our scone jar. A lot like a cookie jar that Americans keep in the kitchen, we just put scones in the jar instead of cookies. About every week, I bake some new scones for the jar when we need a quick breakfast or an emergency scone (or 10) to let out our feelings. I bake different flavors every week and this week it was blueberry-lemon scones.

I place the plate of scones into the little oven we got together for Christmas last year and look for the block of butter from the fridge. Taking it out, I place it on top of the mini oven, hoping it would soften up to make it easier to spread. When the water boils, I pour it into the cups and take the scones out of the oven. I bring everything to the island that Penelope is sitting at and start to butter up a scone. I hand it to Penelope and she takes it. 

“Talk to me Penny,” I say gently. She doesn’t eat the scone but instead takes a sip of her tea. 

“Micah broke up with me,” she says in a small voice. “Said that communication wasn’t good and that he didn’t feel “the spark” anymore. Something in her voice made me die a little inside, the Penelope I knew did not speak with a small voice. Even in her worst times, she always had a clear, strong voice. Seeing her this broken made me want to do nothing more than wrap her in a hug and whisk her away to a remote island until she isn’t so sad anymore. 

“Oh Penelope, I’m sorry,” I say because I wouldn’t know what else to say.

“It’s okay,” she says, “There’s nothing to be sorry for, you didn’t break up with me and you didn’t cause the breakup.” There’s nothing for me to say so I shove a scone in my mouth and take a sip of tea to down it. Penelope still hasn’t eaten her scone yet. It was going to get cold.

“Penny, please eat some scones and have your tea. I know what it feels like to go through a breakup like this and let me tell you, it didn’t feel good to lose five pounds from skipping my meals. “

Penelope only looks up at me with a sad smile, “I probably need to lose some weight, in between work and writing books, I haven’t been doing much exercise. Your scones haven’t exactly been helping either Simon. I love this blueberry-lemon scone but I’ve really got to start paying attention to what I’m eating.”

“Penelope! Don’t say that, eating good food can fix almost anything!”

“I’m sorry Simon but not everyone has a metabolism as fast as yours,” Penelope says.

I scoff, “Your metabolism has nothing to do with what you want to eat!”

Penelope lets out a little chuckle, “Simon, you really are clueless aren’t you?”

I’m glad that she’s at least talking a little more so I don’t say anything else. Eventually, she finishes off her scone and tea and gets up to get ready for bed. I get up to do the dishes. After I finish, I get ready for bed myself, turning off the lights and slipping into slumber after a long day. 

**_Agatha_ **

A rush of excitement and curiosity courses through me as I open the email.

_ Dear Friend, _

_ It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I hope you understand why I had stopped talking to you for such a long time. I know it sounds selfish (and it probably is) that I contact you again. I’ve come here to ask for your help. I’ve just met someone, and it sounds so cliche but I feel like they’re someone special, even if I have only met them recently. I can’t seem to discuss this with my friend (they tease me about everything and never take me too seriously) and you are the only one that I can trust with this topic. Like I have said before, I’m sorry I haven’t reached out to you earlier and I hope you can forgive me.  _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Your friend _

I don’t know what it was but it feels like all the air has been sucked out of my room. This mysterious person stops talking to me for months just to reach out to me again for relationship advice? This may just be my jealousy taking over but I can’t let them go. They trust me as their friend and they were there for me when I needed help breaking up with Simon. I guess I could help them, after all, that they’ve done for me, it was the least I could do. I hit the “reply” button and start to compose my own email:

_ Dear Friend,  _

_ It has been quite a while since we’ve talked. I’m glad you’ve finally reached out to me, even if it is about advice for a relationship. You should know I’m not the best at these, but I’ll always be here to listen to you.  _

_ Best regards, _

_ Your friend _

I hit send after rereading the short email for any mistakes. Then I turn off the lights and slip into bed, under the warm San Diego air. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I was probably supposed to get this posted a little earlier today, but I had to do revisions and my schoolwork is killing me. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! :)


	5. Chapter 5

**_Baz_ **

I don’t visit the Tea & Scones cafe until lunchtime and I decide to bring Erica along with me. As we step through the door, the same warm wash of scents fills my senses. The little shop is bustling with people, and there was a very busy and adorable Simon working his ass off at the front counter and kitchen. Where’s his friend Penelope? Didn’t he say that he worked with her?

“This cafe is so cute!” Erica exclaims, taking in the simple, but unique decoration.

“Just wait until you try the scones,” I say, “They’re nothing like the “biscuits” you Americans have. I still don’t understand why you Americans call those dry flaky buns biscuits! Biscuits are what you call cookies!”

“Well Baz, welcome to America, where half the terms are different from the U.K. Just accept it and go with the flow!” Erica says as we step up in the long line.

We wait in line for another five minutes until we reach the front of the line.

“Baz!” Simon lights up with a grin. Despite the fact that he is half covered in flour and flustered from running back and forth between the counter and the kitchen, he still manages to look effortlessly perfect. 

“Hey Simon,” I say, “Meet my friend Erica.”

“Hello Erica! I’m Simon!” Simon says brightly.

“Nice to meet ya, Simon! This is a great little shop you’ve opened here! It’s so cute!”

“Thanks,” Simon says, a little shy, “My friend Penelope and I opened this place up a little while ago.”

“Speaking of which, where is your friend, Penelope?” I ask.

“She’s having a bad day and I told her I could work the whole day for her,” Simon replies.

“That’s really sweet of you,” Erica says, making Simon smile a little wider.

“So what can I get you two today?” Simon asks.

“We’ll both take a BLT, two cherry scones, and an earl grey black tea. Erica, what would you like to drink?”

“Ooh, I’ll have an iced coffee please!” Erica beams. What is it with Americans and their coffee? I never understood the appeal. 

“Lunch is on me,” I say before Erica had a chance to take out her wallet. I slip my card into the chip reader and make sure to leave a rather large tip. Simon hands me the receipt and we stand by the counter due to all the fact that seats were occupied. Simon takes a few more orders before disappearing into the kitchen. 

The second he does, Erica blurts out, “Is that the boy you have a crush on?”

“My gods, Erica, how can you just blurt something out like that?” I say, masking my voice with annoyance.

“Come on! Admit it! You like him,” she persists, absolutely ignoring my statement earlier.

“Erica, did you really not hear me? You can’t just flat out accuse people like that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if you would just admit it!” she shoots back.

I sigh in frustration. “Would it make you happy if I said yes?” Erica only smirks before nodding her head. 

“Fine, I have a crush on a boy with adorable curly hair and bright blue eyes even if I just met him yesterday. Are we done here?”

“Yup! Now I can tease you every time we come here!”

“I swear dealing with a toddler is easier than this,” I mutter under my breath.

Simon comes out with our order and we thank him before heading out to go back to work. 

**_Simon_ **

I woke up to crying and screaming in the living room. It turns out that Penelope couldn’t sleep last night so she decided it was a good idea to stay up and watch bad movies until dawn. Her hair was as poofy and frizzy as ever and her pajamas were wrinkled. There were intense dark circles under her eyes and tear stains on her cheeks.

It pained me to see her like this; she was usually so put together and ready to face the world. It was usually her who woke up earlier than me to make breakfast for us. Today, it’s my turn. I set a plate of eggs, Canadian bacon, and a blueberry-lemon scone on the coffee table. Along with the food, I also set a mug of tea and a large jug of lemon water. Whenever either of us was hungover or tired, this was our solution. Penelope thanked me with a weak smile before I told her I would work for the whole day.

“Simon! You can’t work a full day shift alone! How will you handle rush hour? I told you we should’ve hired someone sooner!”

“Penny, don’t hassle yourself so much. I’m sure the customers will understand. Plus, this was bound to happen sooner or later. I can handle it. Make sure to stay hydrated, crying burns up a lot of water.”

“I’ve got it Simon,” Penelope says as I head out the door.

Okay, so maybe I do regret not hiring another worker earlier because I was in the middle of baking more of our sour cherry scones when rush hour hit. From there, it was a neverending line of customers all ordering some type of sandwich. Toast the bread, slice the tomatoes, wash the lettuce, cook the bacon, assemble the sandwich, and repeat. There was a point where I just stopped thinking and my hands were on autopilot. I was still half covered in flour when Baz and his friend Erica arrived. 

Erica is a pretty girl with chocolate skin that seemed to glow under afternoon sunlight and dark curly hair that bounced every time she moved. Her personality is bright and outgoing, and her smile is infectious. They order two BLTs, two cherry scones, an earl grey black tea, and an iced coffee. 

I take a few more orders before heading into the kitchen where I hear Erica teasing Baz about something. I strain my ears over the sound of the rather loud freezer and I catch snippets of their conversation. Something about Baz having a crush on someone. I feel my heart dropping a little even if I have met Baz only a day ago. It feels a little silly to get upset over such a little thing. Especially with what Penelope is going through right now. I just wished that Baz and I could become closer friends, maybe something even more. I guess I was just ahead of myself, thinking of the future instead of the present.

I mean, who would want to date me? I’m a wreck from every angle. That’s why Agatha broke up with me all those years ago. Because I was only thinking of the future when she wanted something else, something present at that time. Pushing the feelings away, I take the food outside to the counter and hand it to Baz and Erica. I don’t think they noticed that I’d cried a few tears in the kitchen. I hoped no one did at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this chapter is late! I know it was supposed to be posted yesterday.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Baz_ **

Weeks fly by and I visit Simon either in the morning or during lunch. His friend Penelope is there too sometimes. We’ve struck up a few conversations from time to time, and I have to say, I’m impressed. She’s incredibly bright and has attended UCL. Her knowledge of politics is definitely above average for most people. The weather is getting chillier and suddenly all the trees have turned from green to shades of red, orange, and yellow. Shops and cafes are decked out in Halloween decorations and grocery stores have started selling pumpkins.

I’ve never been a big fan of Halloween but something makes me want to celebrate it a little more this year. Like every day, I step into the Tea & Scones cafe, but it smells different today. Instead of smelling like rich buttery scones with a hint of bitter tea, it smelled like pumpkin spice and something sweet that I can’t quite place. Like all the other shops on this street, the cafe is decorated with pumpkins with LED tealights and little black bats hung on the ceiling. 

“Hey Baz!” Simon beams, peeking his head out of the kitchen. “Would you like to try the limited edition pumpkin scones with maple icing?”

“That sounds lovely Si-” I start, “Are those red dragon wings?”

“Yeah,” Simons says nervously, “I’ve got a tail too,” he says while lifting up a matching tail with a black spade at the end. I throw my head back and laugh.

“That’s a brilliant costume,” I say surveying how real the red pleather wings looked. There was clearly a lot of effort put into them to make them look as real as possible. The edges of the wings were painted to look like they’ve been worn and even the tail was made with impeccable detail.

“Thanks,” he says, “Did you dress up as anything for Halloween?”

“Actually,” I say, flashing him a smile. He looks confused for a second before realization takes over his face.

“Oh my god, you’re a vampire!” Simon says, practically jumping over the counter in excitement. “Penny! I win the bet this time!” he yells into the kitchen. Penelope comes out dressed in a cape and a pointy witch hat.

“Oh darn,” she says, “I was so sure that you weren’t going to dress up for Halloween.”

“What makes you think that?” I ask.

“You don’t seem like the person to,” Penelope says shrugging and handing Simon a five-dollar bill.

“What was the bet anyways?”

“Well,” Simon says, “Penelope said that you weren’t going to dress up for Halloween, but I thought otherwise so we had a bet.”

“Well Bunce, next time you might want to be less sure,” I say, a grin taking over my face.

“So Baz, what would you like to order today?” Simon asks.

“I’ll have those pumpkin scones and the usual earl grey black tea.”

I pay for the order and Simon disappears into the kitchen to make the tea. Penelope stays outside to keep an eye out for new customers.

“Are you and Simon really into Halloween?” I ask her.

“Yeah, we’ve been friends since high school and Simon would have some brilliant costume idea year after year. He likes being someone else for one day and that one day was Halloween.”

“Oh,” I say, “What about you?” 

“Well, Simon’s excitement is always a little contagious and he’s got me making my costumes after some time.”

Simon comes out with the scones and tea and I thank both of them before heading out to work, fake vampire fangs, Doc Martens, floral black button-up, and all.

**_Simon_ **

I was not fully confident that Baz was going to dress up for Halloween but when he walked in this morning with a black button-up with blood-red roses, black trousers, and boots, I knew he had to be dressed up as something. And I was right! He was dressed up as a vampire and honestly, I can’t say I’m too surprised. He did look a little bit like a vampire on a day to day basis, with black hair, a widow’s peak, and fair skin. He was just missing some fangs and he is definitely fueling the whole “vampires are good looking” rumor. 

Halloween day is usually busy during the day, but by 7 pm, everyone would’ve gone home to get ready for a party or go trick-or-treating. Penelope and I both decided to just close early and head home. We could bake some scones, brew some tea, and watch bad horror movies like we do every year. I’d already gotten way too many requests to take pictures of my costume and I was tired. We had just locked up the doors when Penelope’s phone started ringing. She takes it out of her pocket and answers.

“Hey Baz!” she says, “Oh, we just closed the cafe, why?” Pause. “Of course! Let me ask Simon.” She turns to me and asks, “Simon, do you want to go to Baz’s place? He and a few friends are having a Halloween party there.”

“Sure,” I say, trying not to sound too giddy.

“Simon said sure,” Penelope says into the phone, “Just text me the address and we’ll be over!”

She hangs up and pulls up google maps before leading the way.

“I didn’t know you had Baz’s number,” I say, trying to control my voice.

“He gave it to me a week ago when we were talking about world hunger issues,” Penelope says absentmindedly, not looking away from her phone. “It’s a left turn from here.”

We follow the instructions on Penelope’s phone and finally arrive at a rather fancy looking apartment complex. As we entered the lobby, the doorman stopped us.

“Who are you here for?” he asks.

“We’re friends of Basilton Pitch,” Penelope says. I didn’t know Baz’s name was Basilton. 

“What are your names?” 

“Simon and Penelope,” I say. The doorman dials a number on the old-fashioned telephone and waits for someone to pick up. 

“Hello Mr. Pitch, there are two guests here to visit you, Simon and Penelope?” There was a pause before the doorman continued, “Of course, I will send them up, have a good night.” He looks up at us with a small smile, “The elevator is on your right, Mr. Pitch lives on the seventeenth floor.”

“Thank you,” Penelope and I say before heading towards the elevator. We take the elevator to the top floor where there was only one door. Penelope goes and knocks on it. A few seconds later, Baz opens the door.

“Glad you could make it!” he says, “Come on in, the party has just started.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this was posted so late. I don't want to go on a rant, but like my English teacher just made us write like the 4th freaking essay on Romeo and Juliet. Like we get it, two teenagers did some not so smart things and ended up dead. How much more time do we have to invest in this play? Anyways, sorry for ranting, and I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**_Simon_ **

Penelope and I step into the penthouse apartment in awe. Most of the walls were made of glass, displaying the beautiful view of the nighttime skyline. The apartment was dimly lit with a dark blue light, giving it a relaxed feeling. The party was nothing crazy, there were people singing karaoke at the flatscreen TV, a large table of snacks in the kitchen, and a large couch and some loveseats to provide seating. I spot Erica at the balcony talking to what seemed like a friend, but everyone else were strangers to me. I turn around to ask Penelope if she wanted something to drink, but she was already invested in a conversation with Baz.

I turn my attention to the food instead. There were slices of pumpkin spice cheesecake, brownies, scones, mini sandwiches, and bowls of assorted candy. On the far side of the kitchen island were different types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alike. I decided to try the cheesecake and grabbed a can of cream soda before settling down in one of the loveseats near the balcony. The cheesecake was absolutely amazing. It was decadent and rich with just the right amount of spice. I suspect that the crust had some cinnamon in it because it seemed to be similar to the cheese part of the cake, but not exactly the same. I crack open the can of cream soda and take a sip.

“What do you think of the cake?” Baz pops up behind me.

I almost drop my soda before regaining myself, “It’s amazing!” I gush, “Is there cinnamon in the crust? I know there’s some sort of secret ingredient in there, but I can’t seem to have figured it out yet.”

“I’ve no idea,” Baz slurs a little through his fake vampire fangs, “You’re going to have to ask Niall,” he says pointing at a boy with reddish-brown hair, “He made the cake.”

I turn in that direction to see that the Niall was the one Erica was talking to earlier. I thank Baz and head over. Tapping his shoulder I ask, “Hey, are you Niall?”

He turns around with a smile, “Yup, that’s me. And you are?”

“I’m Simon,” I say, offering my hand. He takes it.

“Nice to meet you, Simon, but did Baz tell you about me?”

“Yes,” I say, “He told me you were the one who made the amazing cheesecake. Did you add cinnamon in the crust?”

“Actually, it was nutmeg and cinnamon, but not bad on guessing. I didn’t know Baz had friends who knew their spices well.”

“We didn’t meet too long ago at the cafe my friend and I opened across from his job. He drops by every day!”

Niall’s eyebrows rise up, “Really?” 

“Absolutely,” I say. 

“Well, maybe it’s a bit of a coincidence, but I was looking for a new job,” Niall says, “I was getting quite tired of my job as a waiter at the restaurant I work at. Are you hiring?”

I look around for Penelope, but can’t find her anywhere. I needed to consult her before hiring someone, but since I can’t find her, I give Niall my number instead. 

“I’ll contact you after I talk with my friend, I’m sure we’ll love to have someone like you work with us,” I say.

“Great,” Niall says.

The party passes by in a blur and I find myself down a few drinks along with everyone else. I think I saw Penelope through the crowd a few times, but every time I look harder, she seems to have disappeared. As I start on the fourth song at the karaoke machine, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I catch a little bit of bergamot and cedarwood before turning around. 

“There you are, Simon!” Baz seems to slur just a bit more than he did an hour ago. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you! Come to the balcony with me.”

In my drunken state, I stumble after him out into the nighttime breeze. Baz turns to me, strands of hair falling into his face. I want to brush it away, but I stop myself. He starts leaning in closer and says, “Simon, you’ve been avoiding me,” with a pout.

I stand there for a moment, “I haven’t, Baz.”

“Come on Simon! Don’t play games with me! I see how you disappear to the kitchen every time I come for lunch or breakfast. Penelope’s usually the one who talks to me! Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not trying to avoid you Baz.”

“Then what are you doing, Simon? Every time I try to talk to you, you find a way out of it!” Baz yells, hands gripped tightly on the railing.

“I’m trying not to get hurt god damn it!” I yell, losing my patience. “I heard Erica say that you like someone, so it would be pointless for me to get my hopes up just to have them crash back down on me!” My face is hot with anger and my hair’s probably a mess from the number of times I’ve run my hand through it.

Then, get this, Baz starts laughing. At first, it was a giggle, but it quickly turned into a somewhat hysterical laugh. He was practically a mess. What was wrong with him? Does he always change moods this quickly? Was he bipolar?  
“Simon,” he says after catching his breath, “You really are denser than I thought.”

“Wow, thank you very much,” I say dryly.

“Do you really not know?” Baz asks with a little smile.

“What the hell am I supposed to know? You just yelled at me before breaking out into hysterical laughter! I wouldn’t be surprised if you tried to through me down a flight of stairs next!”

Baz only shakes his head before letting out a few more giggles and hiccups. “Simon, I do have a crush on someone, and that person is standing right here on this balcony with me,” he says in the most serious tone I’ve heard all night. The realization hits me before I bury my head in my hands.

“Crowley, I really am daft, aren’t I?” I say through my fingers. 

Baz doesn’t say anything. He just takes hands off my face before pulling me closer. It’s like one of those cliche dramas where a couple stands under the moonlight on a balcony at a party, seconds away from kissing. He starts leaning in, and I find myself giving in as well. The gap between us closes as our bodies get closer until...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe... Please don't hate me. Let's all just pretend that this was posted yesterday and I TOTALLY did not leave you guys on a mini cliffhanger. Pls don't kill me.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Baz_ **

This was the moment I’ve been waiting for forever. Simon’s only inches away from me and all I have to do is lean in and close the gap. My eyes close and our lips meet. He tastes like cream soda and caramel shots mixed with a bit of pumpkin spice. His mouth is hot, so hot. He feels like a fireplace in the cool breeze and all I want is more. He’s tilting his head and moving his chin up and down. My hands find their way to the back of his neck and his waist, pulling him closer. His hands are in my hair, raking through the strands, killing every thought besides  _ I’m kissing Simon. _

I pull away for air and find myself lost in his blue eyes. He looks right back at me, almost like he was challenging me. That was when a soft voice broke through the off-key singing and traffic jam below us.

“Simon?”

Simon turns around towards the door, “Agatha? What are you doing here?”

I turn to look at the girl, she has light blonde hair that was almost platinum, with honey brown eyes. So this was Agatha. She’s the one who found my email address all those years ago, asking me to help her break up with her boyfriend. She’s not exactly who I expected, but what I didn’t expect that Simon would know her. 

“You know each other?” I ask Simon.

“Agatha’s my ex-girlfriend from university,” Simon says, not turning away from Agatha. The words hit me like a punch in the stomach. 

“Thanks for inviting me to the party,” Agatha says, “My friend Ginger and I have always wanted to visit San Francisco! The weather does remind me a bit of London though.”

Now it was Simon’s turn to turn to me. “How do you know Agatha?”

I pause before answering, “It’s sort of a long story,” I begin, “Why don’t we go inside and sit down?”

We head inside and find a spot to sit down at the couch. “So,” I begin, “Back when I was in university, I had a professor who had some history with my parents. He loathed me and accused me of cheating on his tests. Of course, I couldn’t really file a complaint on him because he hadn’t done anything to me yet. Until on the final exams, when he told me that I didn’t admit I cheated, he was going to leak my personal information. I didn’t know what exactly his goal was, but he wrote my email on pieces of paper and left them in public places. Agatha happened to find one of those pieces of paper.” I wait to let the information sink in for Simon. 

“Did you report him afterward?” Simon asks, suddenly sitting up straight and more sober than he was five minutes ago. 

“I did,” I say, “He was fired quickly and replaced.”

“But then what does this have to do with you knowing Agatha?” Maybe he was less sober than I thought.

“Well,” Agatha starts, “I emailed Baz, struck up a few conversations, and ended up becoming friends.”

“But why didn’t you tell me about him?” Simon asks.

Agatha starts fidgeting with her hands. “I- I was asking Baz for help to break up with you Simon. I didn’t know his name or what he looked like; we had never met in real life. All I knew was that I needed someone to talk to about how I was feeling.”

I hang my head, afraid of what Simon will do. It was partially my fault that he and Agatha broke up. In fact, it was my fault that we were even stuck in this situation in the first place. I had suggested that Agatha come to San Francisco to meet in real life. That was when we told each other our names. I thought that maybe she could help me with my feelings for Simon since I knew Erica would just tease me. I could’ve just stopped talking to her like I did all those years ago, but I felt bad. 

“Please give me some time to think about this,” Simon mumbles before getting off the couch and out onto the balcony. I could feel the couch shift under me as he leaves.

“I’m sorry,” Agatha says, “I was supposed to help you, but it seems that I’ve made the situation worse.”

“It’s not exactly your fault,” I say, “It was partially my fault that I didn’t mention Simon.”

“It’s okay, I should probably get going anyways, it’s getting late,” Agatha says, picking up her coat and heading towards the door. 

I run my hand through my hair, how did every go from great to disastrous so quickly?

**_Agatha_ **

I knew Baz liked someone else, he even said that he was completely gay. I was prepared to go on this trip and just have fun with Ginger. I just don’t think I was prepared enough to see Baz kissing my ex-boyfriend on a balcony like it was the cover of some romance novel. I look for Ginger in the crowd of people and find her in the kitchen. 

“Ginger, I’m going back to the hotel, don’t stay out too late,” I say.

I don’t think I heard her response, but she did nod her head so I made my way to the door. As I reached the bottom floor, I see Penelope in the lobby. I try to walk past her, but she recognizes me immediately. 

“Agatha!” she exclaims. “I didn’t know you knew Baz!”

“It’s a long story,” I say.

“Great!” Penelope said, “I don’t drink much and I got a bit bored at the party, are you visiting? I can show you some of the best places to eat at this time! Then you can tell me all about San Diego!”

Not knowing how to turn her down, I accept her invitation and we head out the door together. If someone hadn’t known better, they’d think we’ve been best friends since grade school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is an early update, no, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is to make up for the late update last week and the cliffhanger. :)


	9. Chapter 9

**_Penelope_ **

“So that’s how you met Baz?”

Agatha nods her head. I guess the world was really smaller than I thought, besides the fact of how big the United States is. I take a sip of my pineapple drink. I took Agatha to one of my favorite late-night restaurants where they serve some of the best fish and chips along with clam chowder. I ordered fish and chips while Agatha got the clam chowder. 

“So how’s San Diego?” I ask, “I heard that it gets quite hot in the summer.”

“It does,” Agatha says, “My friend Ginger and I spend most of our time on the beach during the summer.”

“Ooh! Sounds like fun, maybe Simon and I could come to visit next summer!”

“Maybe,” Agatha says, looking down. 

“Agatha, what’s wrong?” 

“It’s just,” she says, stirring the uneaten clam chowder, “I feel like every time I’m with Simon or you, I just feel like I’m under pressure to be great friends with you when in reality, I barely know you two at all!” 

“But Agatha, we went to high school and college together! How can you say that?”

“Penelope,” Agatha says, looking up at me for the first time that night, “All those years, we barely ever talked, all it was about was Simon this or Simon that. All because he got a scholarship, he was suddenly some golden boy. I was pressured into dating him because I was the “golden girl” so I was just automatically perfect for him.”

I don’t say anything to fight her about it because everything she said was true. Simon did get a scholarship to a prestigious university which was practically unheard of. A lot of people considered him the “golden boy” because they believed that if he could get a scholarship then he must be really smart. Agatha was the “golden girl” because of how successful her parents are and how pretty she was. It was my turn to hang my head.

“I’m sorry Agatha, you didn’t deserve to be pressured into a relationship like that. And I’m sorry I didn’t notice before. It was just that, Simon looked so happy, you know? He looked so happy, I didn’t notice how miserable you were to be in a relationship that you didn’t want.”

“It’s okay Penelope,” Agatha says, taking out a twenty-dollar bill and waving the waiter over. “I just want to be the background character of a story, nothing extraordinary will happen to me and I’m fine with that. Agatha pays for the meal and leaves me in the restaurant with only my thoughts and questions.

**_Simon_ **

So after all this time, it was Baz who helped Agatha break up with me. I don’t know what I should be feeling right now. In a way, it wasn’t exactly Baz’s fault. He didn’t know who Agatha was and Agatha didn’t know who he was. They were just two strangers looking for someone to talk to. It wasn’t Baz’s fault that Agatha didn’t want to be in a relationship with me anymore. And besides, if Agatha hadn’t broken up with me, I might’ve never met Baz. All the same, in a way Baz was part of the reason Agatha broke up with me and my thoughts just circle back to the beginning. 

This is why I try not to think in my spare time. It only makes things worse, if I just didn’t think and did what I had to when I had to, things are simpler. I bury my hands in my hair, I think I need another drink. I turn towards the kitchen to get another one of the caramel shots. They are little shots of caramel, whiskey, apple slices, and a bit of sea salt. I started with sipping them at the beginning of the night, but right now, I just needed something to numb my brain. 

I knock back one of the shots and grab another. Then another, before I grab an apple turnover and start nibbling on it. The alcohol was kicking back in and the room started getting fuzzy. The lights were brighter and the sounds blended together into some kind of white noise. In the midst of it all, I see Baz coming towards me. I should walk away, give myself more time. But I’m selfish and I don’t want to think. I can’t hear what he’s saying over the rushing in my ears so I just grab him by the collar and pull him towards my lips. 

He tenses before giving in. I can sort out my emotions tomorrow when I’m sober and awake. Right now, I’m just tired and confused. My mind blurs as the night goes on and my last thought before closing my eyes is “where in the world is Penelope?”

**_Baz_ **

I wake up with a ringing in my ears and a head-splitting headache. I try to sit up but something is keeping me in place. Something warm with a hint of caramel. I blink my eyes, trying to remember what happened last night. The ceiling looked different, this was most definitely not my bedroom. I try to sit up again and this time, and I succeed after two tries (don’t ask). 

I was in my living room, on the couch with a painfully adorable red-haired boy next to me. To my surprise, it was only the two of us in the living room, it seems like everyone else left. I look around for my phone which I find on the kitchen table after stumbling off the couch. The screen flicks on when I pick it up, it was already 10 am. 

Thankfully, today was my day off. Scanning the table and floors, it was a good thing I didn’t have work today, if I didn’t clean this place, it would become an ant farm by the time I get back from work. 

First thing’s first was to get water. I grab a glass from the cabinet and fill it with water from my fridge. Simon hasn’t woken up yet but I get a cup of water for him and leave on the coffee table before I hop in the shower. 

It didn’t matter that my apartment had cake on the floor and reeked of alcohol and candy. Right now, my shower was far more important. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there :3. It's a new chapter, but honestly, I feel like this is probably one of the slowest chapters. And before you ask, Simon and Baz fell asleep on the couch. Nothing else, okay?


	10. Chapter 10

**_Simon_ **

Everything was blurry when I opened my eyes. My back was killing me and the room smelled of alcohol and cake. Wait… The room smelled like alcohol and cake? I sit up so fast my head spins and I grab onto the closest thing to steady myself. It just happened that I grabbed the back of a couch. Why was I on a couch? Where am I? What happened?

My head was met with a sharp pain the second the spinning stopped. Nausea made its way up to my throat as the hangover takes over my body. I spot a glass of ice water set on the table and I don’t think twice before downing it. My stomach seemed to calm down a little bit as I climb up from the couch to place the glass in the sink. Memories start to resurface as I make my way around the house. Baz had invited Penelope and me to his Halloween party and I got drunk. Baz and I kissed, Agatha showed up, and it turned out that Baz helped her break up with me. 

Thoughts and emotions start to cloud up in my brain and I tried my best to sort them out. What I need right now are a way to get the hell out of here and a shower. I look around for my phone and finally find it on one of the loveseats. Swiping the dark screen, I’m surprised to see that it lights up with nearly twenty new notifications from Penelope. All the texts are asking me where I am and that she was going to take over for work today. I check the time to see that it was already 10 am. I started heading towards the door to find my shoes when the bathroom door opened. 

Baz stepped out of the shower with his hair slicked back and a wrinkle-free button-up shirt. 

“Simon! You’ve finally woken up,” he says.

“Yeah, I was just about to go-” I start.

“Already?” he asks, quirking up an eyebrow. “Would you like a shower and a change of clothing before you go? I know you would usually already be at work right now, and it would only take longer if you have to get ready at your flat.”

I take a moment to consider this before I give him my answer, “Alright, I guess I could use a shower, I don’t really feel like walking around in a caramel stained shirt today.”

“I’ll get you some clothes and a towel then!” Baz says as he disappears into what I assume is his room.

He reappears moments later with a bundle of clothes and a towel and hands them to me. I make my way to the bathroom and place the bundle on the counter, lock the door, strip, and get in the shower. It felt nice to have hot water wash away some strange stickiness out of my hair and whatever remnants left off. I look around for some soap and only find three bottles of bergamot and cedarwood scented body wash, shampoo, and conditioner on the little wall shelf. I grab the bottle of shampoo and start with that. As I washed my body, I let my thoughts run loose again. What should I do about Baz? I still felt in a way, betrayed, but I knew with no doubt that I was attracted to him. Rinsing the conditioner out of my hair, I go to turn off the water and step out, reaching fo the fluffy white towel. 

After drying off, I unfold the clothes Baz lent me. There was an emerald green button-up, a pair of brown trousers, along with unopened underwear and socks. I put the socks on and discover that Baz had also packed a toothbrush in the bundle. I continue to brush my teeth and splash my face with some water before opening the bathroom door.

I was met with the sound of an automatic vacuum right outside of the bathroom. Baz was washing a tower of dishes in the sink and the apartment no longer smelled of cake and alcohol. 

“Feeling better?” Baz asks over the noise. 

“Yeah,” I say. The sink turns off as Baz places down a clean white plate. 

“Do you want me to drive you to the cafe? It’s a bit of a walk and it’s chilly outside.”

“No, no, I’ve already overstayed my welcome, I should go. Plus, you’ve already driven me home the other time when we were at the mall, I can’t keep taking advantage of you like that!”

“I insist,” Baz says, “Plus, I’m really craving a scone at this time, it seems to have become a bit of a habit for me to have a scone every day.”

“Alright,” I say with hesitation, “But afterward, you’re going to teach me to drive so I don’t have to keep hitching rides with you.”

“What if I don’t mind giving you these rides?” Baz asks with a smile.

I can feel my face heating up as reach for my battered sneakers by the door. “I dunno,” I mumble, slipping my shoes on.

“I mean, if we take the car together, we can cut down on the carbon that’s being released into the atmosphere,” Baz starts. It was too early in the morning for me to be dealing with Baz’s reasoning so I just agree and we go to the garage to get his car. 

It’s just like I remembered it. The same bergamot and cedarwood, clean floors, and the leather seats are all unscathed. I plop down on the passenger seat and Baz drives to the cafe. It only takes about five minutes, but I know if I had to walk, it would’ve taken me at least quadruple the time because of all the steep streets of San Francisco. Baz finds a parking spot, expertly parks his car vertically in smooth, quick motions, and we get out. Familiar scents of tea and pastries hit me as I walk in.

Let’s just say, Penelope didn’t look too happy.

**_Penelope_ **

Simon Snow Salisbury has a lot to explain. Especially when he walks in with a certain raven-haired boy, wearing clothes that cost more than half of his rent. Simon had a lot to explain indeed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm, so this was supposed to be posted earlier today, but then life happened. Anyways, excuses are over and I hope you liked the new chapter! On a side note, I have started working on a new fanfic, specifically an AU of MHA/BNHA (My Hero Academia/ Boku No Hero Academia). Its main ship is Bakugou x Deku, so if you don't ship them, please don't hate, I'm not forcing you to like it. Just wondering if you or if any of the people you know like this ship and would like to read an AU about it. If you guys have any questions about what kind of AU, please leave them in the comments and I'll answer for sure! Okay, I'm done rambling, please have a good night/day. :)


	11. Chapter 11

**_Penelope_ **

“So?” I ask, arms crossed with a frown. “Where were you last night?”

I watch Simon start to fidget with the sleeves of the emerald green button-up he had on. “I, uh, I was with Baz last night.”

“And why did that happen?”

He sighed, “Because I got stupid drunk and passed out on the couch.”  
“And what did I tell you not to do every time we go to a party?”

“Get stupid drunk and pass out on the couch.”

“Exactly,” I say. It didn’t take much for Simon to scurry into the kitchen and Baz orders his usual scone and tea. I think he caught the drift that now was not a good time to start a conversation about melting ice caps or some other controversial topic right now. 

The rest of the day goes by and Simon just stays silent. I don’t hear a peep from him, besides the usual swear every time he bangs his hip on the side of the counter or something along the lines of that. He also refuses to get out of the kitchen, baking enough scones in there to last a week. I may feel a little bad since I was the one who left him at the party, but I couldn’t exactly go back inside either. 

The doorman told me that it was too late to go back inside since there was some sort of curfew and also because Baz wouldn’t pick up the phone so I was forced to stand on the street for a good half hour calling Simon’s cell. Of course, he never picked up so I gave up in the end and just went home. 

By the time it was seven o’clock, I couldn’t take it anymore. As much as I was wasn’t happy with Simon, I couldn’t just ignore him for the rest of the night. 

“Simon?” I ask, peeking into the kitchen.

He looks up, completely covered in flour from the day’s work and his hair is a mess. 

“Yeah?”

“Want to talk?”

“Okay,” Simon says. He walks out of the kitchen and I slide him a cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, marshmallows, and caramel syrup. I have no idea how he consumes that much sugar in one go but I don’t question it as I sip my green tea. 

“So?” Simon asks after a somewhat awkward silence.

I sigh, “Simon, I’ve texted Niall, I think he’ll be a great employee here, do you mind showing him some basics tomorrow?”

Simon lets a breath of relief, “I don’t mind Penny.”

“Now,” I say “Do explain what happened last night at Baz’s place. The last time I saw you in the penthouse apartment, you were still sober and working on your fifth slice of cheesecake.”

I can see Simon immediately recoil in fear. Clearing his throat, he starts, “So, after my like, seventh slice of cake, I decided to try out some of the drinks on the table. You should’ve tried one of those caramel shots, Penny! They were sweet, with a little bit of salt and a bit spice or something in there that made them addicting! Anyways, I think I may have downed a bit too much alcohol, from those shots and I ended up getting drunk. Then I stumbled around, talked to Baz, and, oh! Agatha was there too. Apparently-”

“Baz helped Agatha break up with you back in university huh?” I interrupt. 

“How did you know?” Simon looks up from his hot chocolate.

“I bumped into Agatha when I was taking a breath in the lobby. We went out for some food and she told me about it.”

“Well, that makes my explanation easier,” Simon resumes, “So then, I think I got more drunk after that, Baz and I kissed, and I’m pretty sure I passed out sometime in the early morning.”

“You got drunker and you kissed Baz?” I nearly screech.

“I mean, it’s kind of hard to process that your crush helped your ex-girlfriend break up with you, but if he hadn’t then you never would’ve met him, but then again, you would still be with your girlfriend. Then I just kind of go in an infinite loop of arguing with myself so I just downed a few more shots.”

I rub the bridge of my nose. It seems that Simon’s level of common sense is lower than I thought. 

“Let’s just clean up and get out of here,” I say. “I don’t think I want to hear your thought process of why you kissed Baz.”

“That’s it?” Simon asks, surprised.

“What do you mean, ‘that’s it?’” I ask.

“I thought you were going to grill me or something,” Simon says.

“I mean, I can still grill you, I just don’t have the energy today.”

“No, no, it’s okay, let’s just end the discussion here, clean up, go home and have an early night,” Simon says quickly. I could practically see him sweating. 

I throw my head back and let out a laugh. “Then hurry up Simon, I don’t want another crowd of drunk high school teenagers to stumble in here two minutes before we close.”

Simon shudders from the thought and laughs before grabbing the broom and dustpan. I head to the kitchen to clean up any extra pans or bowls, wiping the counters down as I go. I couldn’t wait to go home and call it a night. 

**_Baz_ **

Cleaning the house was much harder than I had anticipated. The robot vacuum was moving around on its own fine, but the dishes were a whole other story. I rinse each plate and set it in the dishwasher, but I think I may have underestimated the number of them I had to clean. It took three full loads with the dishwasher to finally clean all the dishes. I made a mental note to myself to use paper plates next time.

At this point, most of the floor was clean, the vacuum moved back to its charging station, and all I had to do was wipe down a few counters, fix up the loveseats, and pick up a few fallen books. I set to work, rinsing a kitchen towel, and wiping down the marble counters, getting rid of the stickiness and crumbs. It almost felt relaxing to clean the house. A lot of people will think I’m crazy, but it was really refreshing to clean my flat sometimes. It gave me time to think while doing something productive.

It may have been my upbringing that makes me think this way. My father had always had maids and butlers to clean the house. Moving out and living on my own, I’ve found comfort to clean up my own messes, without feeling guilty when I spill a glass of wine on the couch. 

The last of the mess was cleaned up and I collapse on the couch. Reaching for the remote, I turn on the telly, scrolling through the channels for something interesting. I ended up on some competitive cooking show, but my mind didn’t seem to focus. Every time I tried, my mind keeps going back to the night before. How Simon and I spent most likely hours on the same couch. How his arms held me tightly the morning after and the scent of caramel. 

Crowley. I really had it bad for Simon don’t I?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Simon's thinking process still sucks, but he's sorting out his feelings, it's okay. Baz is hopelessly in love with Simon. No other explanation needed. Have a great day/night! :)


	12. Chapter 12

**_Simon_ **

To say that I haven’t been busy would most certainly be a lie. Ever since the Halloween party, things have sort of gotten back to normal. With Niall working with us, Penelope and I could finally have a little more free time. During my time off, I’ve been experimenting with new recipes, bringing them to Niall my next shift and we’ll perfect the final product. 

With holidays rolling around, we’ve been getting a lot of bulk orders, like two hundred scones for a party, a hundred or so slices of cheesecake (new item on the menu that Niall suggested), or even a box full of brownies. The best way to sum it up was that the cafe was busy all day, even when it wasn’t rush hours. 

Due to this, Baz has had less time to talk to me, but honestly, I think this was probably the best for us right now. I’m still trying to sort my emotions out, but I knew it was no excuse that I still had a major crush on him.

“Simon, do you have the blueberry scones done yet?” Niall shouts from the cashier register. 

I check the time on the oven, “They’ve got three more minutes until I can take them out!” I reply.

“Alright!”

I was working on the second bulk order today, though it wasn’t as big as the other orders, seventy-five scones were still considered a lot. All of these orders have me wondering what kind of party people were throwing at this time of the year. Was it really necessary to order two hundred scones for a single party? 

The timer on the oven beeped and I grab the oven mittens to take the scones out to cool. Whatever party people were throwing, I hope they were worth me earning four new burn marks on my arms. 

**_Penelope_ **

I don’t think we’ve ever been this busy at the cafe, ever. But then again, I never expected so many people asking us for bulk orders, so I guess the holidays really bring miracles and surprises along. Simon, Niall, and I have been working non-stop every shift, but it didn’t stop me from noticing how awkward Simon and Baz have gotten.

It’s been over a month since the Halloween party, and they barely ever talk. Simon could blame the crowd as much as he wanted but they don’t even have each other’s numbers for God’s sake! 

It’s a Thursday afternoon and I’m surprised by the number of customers around. Thursdays were almost always quiet, but as I said earlier, it could just be the holidays. The lunch rush didn’t even feel like a rush anymore based on the line that didn’t seem to end since 7 am this morning. 

Baz steps through the door in a warm jacket and orders the usual scone and earl grey. Simon just happens to come out of the kitchen with a big box of scones that he hands to Niall. 

“Hi, Simon,” Baz waves.

“Hey, Baz,” Simon replies.

“It’s quite busy this time of the year, huh?” Baz says, trying to start a conversation. Suddenly the line didn’t seem as dense as before. I keep taking orders, but I overhear the conversation as Simon works on the drink orders. 

“Yeah, we’ve been having some big orders for holiday parties.”

“So, uh, Simon, do you have anything planned for tonight?” Baz asks nervously.

“No, but it might get busy tonight, why?”

“Well, I know this a really nice sushi restaurant nearby and I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me sometime if you can you know. Or unless you don’t like sushi, then we can always have something el-”

Niall walks out of the kitchen with a tray of pastries to refill the display case and sighs. “Simon, you’ll have to excuse Baz for being terrible with words even if he graduated high school with all AP classes,” pausing, Niall looks at Simon, “Would you like to go on a date with Baz?”

Simon nods silently, a blush creeping up to his neck. Niall then looks at Baz, “Will you give Simon your number so you two can discuss plans of your date without holding up the line?” Then he proceeds to pass Baz the scone he ordered. 

Baz and Simon gawk at Niall with wide eyes as he returns to the kitchen and it takes every cell in my body to not burst out laughing. I take over the drink station as Simon and Baz exchange numbers, their faces redder than the red velvet cake sitting in the display case two feet away.

**_Niall_ **

I couldn’t help myself, Baz was indeed holding up the line, Simon doesn’t know what to do with his feelings, mix the two up and you’ll get a disaster no matter what way you look at it. I can see Penelope trying very hard not to burst out into laughter as I return to the kitchen to start a new batch of cheesecake. 

**_Baz_ **

I never expected Niall, of all people to either save me or insult me in an awkward situation. In a way, he saved me a lot of trouble and rambling after I decided today was the day that I was going to finally ask Simon out. I did get Simon’s number and basically a date really soon. But at the same time, I was called out for being terrible with words. 

My hands shook just a little as I handed Simon’s phone back to him. 

“So, uh, text me when you’re free and we’ll go for dinner?” I say nervously.

“Sure,” Simon says with a bit of a smile. 

Despite the fact that the wind was strong enough to start a tornado outside, the thought of going on a date with Simon kept me warm as I cross the street with my afternoon tea.

“So you finally ask him out?” Erica asks, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet.

“Well, kind of, Niall stepped in and made things less awkward, but more awkward in the end as well?” What in the world was I saying?

Erica sighed. “I swear you two are a lost cause.”

My phone buzzes and a new text arrived. I was hoping it was Simon but was slightly disappointed when it was just Niall. 

_ You and Simon a pretty much a lost cause. _

“Huh, funny. Niall just said the exact same thing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So do I want to just end this fic so the suffering between the two awkward boys will finally end? Yes. Do I know how to end it? Nope.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Simon_ **

I stand in front of my closet mirror like every other high school girl trying to decide what to wear to the date. I had tried on way more than five outfits by now, and Penelope ghosted on me with our call. I had called her to ask for advice but the cafe was busy so she had to hang up early. 

A few outfits changes later, I put on a white button-up, faded jeans, and a brown belt. Ruffling my hair until it sat in a decent manner, I take a deep breath, gather my things, and head out the door.

The restaurant Baz suggested wasn’t too far away so I told him I would just walk. The streets are crowded more than ever with Christmas just around the corner. Mothers rushing their kids down the street, teenagers looking bored, and fathers taking pictures. All the scene was missing was some snow (never happens in San Francisco no matter how cold) and the whole city would look like a snowglobe.

Crossing the street, I let out a cold puff of air, glad that I had grabbed a thick coat on my way out the door. Finally arriving at the restaurant, I push the door open to be greeted by a warm wave of air. It smelled like garlic bread and soup, some of my favorite comfort foods. 

Spotting Baz sitting near the back, I make my way over to the table. 

“Hey Simon,” Baz says softly.

“Hey Baz,” I reply shyly. This was our first date, after all, kiss or no kiss at the Halloween party. 

“How was your day?”

“Well,” I start, “It wasn’t too busy this morning so Penelope and I thought it was going to be a little quieter. And were we wrong! Rush hour arrived and I swear we had double the amount of people than we usually did. It was like everyone just planned to bombard us at a certain hour!”

Baz chuckles, “That sounds quite hectic. It definitely makes my day seem miles better than yours. Erica just moved the due date for all of the graphs and charts I’ve been working on. Now she’s telling me that I better get them done in two days, or I’ll be fired with her wearing those hideous Crocs again.”

I find myself laughing at Baz’s story. It was so much easier to talk to him than I could imagine. I thought that everything would get too awkward to even stay friends after Halloween, but yet here I was, laughing with Baz at a fancy restaurant on a date. 

We order our food, along with some wine that Baz had suggested. Usually, I was awkward in fancy restaurants, unsure of which spoon or fork to use, but I was perfectly fine this time. There were no excessive utensils, only a spoon, fork, and knife. 

We continued our small talk through the dinner and were just ordering when my phone rang. 

“How about the chocolate lava cake?” Baz says, “It’s a chocolate cake with hot, melted chocolate on the inside with cold vanilla ice cream on top. We can also change the ice cream to a strawberry flavor.”

“Sounds gre-” I was cut off by the default ringtone on my phone. 

“Sorry,” I say after seeing that it was Penelope, “I’ve got to take this.”  
Baz nods and I take the call. 

“Hey Penny! What’s up?”

“Simon! I’m so so so sorry that I’m interrupting your date, but the oven just broke down and we have a huge order of muffins that need to be delivered by 8 pm! I have no idea who would need two hundred muffins at 8 pm on a weeknight, but it’s worth a lot of money.”

I massage the bridge of my nose, “Have you called the electrician yet?”

“I have, but I need to schedule an appointment, and the earliest they can get here is next Friday!” Penelope sounded like she was in hysterics.

“Okay, how many muffins have you made so far?”

“About a hundred right now, Niall and I were working on the third batch of batter when the oven just shut off when we were preheating it.”

“Do you think we can bake them in the smaller toaster oven instead?”

“We’d be baking muffins until I turn fifty-two Simon! Of course not!”

I sigh. This was a hopeless situation. The best we could do was refund the order and sell the pastries left in the kitchen and display case until the electrician came to fix the oven. 

“Excuse me? Sorry if I eavesdropped on your conversation, but I might be able to help you,” a voice came from the right of me.

I look up from the napkin that I was unconsciously shredding.

“Sorry?” I say.

“I’m Shepard,” a man sitting at a nearby table says, “I’m a journalist, but I’ve had my experience with fixing kitchen appliances and such. I heard that your oven shut down, do you think I could help?”

Baz looks at me, willing me to answer. It seems that he had heard the situation as well.

“Absolutely not Simon! How can we trust someone that we barely know? Does he have a license? What if he can’t fix the oven and still charges us?” I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but Penelope sounds even more hysterical than before.

And just like the before both Shepard and Baz heard her, “I won’t charge you any money, I swear. I just like helping people and making some new friends! And as for licenses, I don’t have an official one, but I have the number of my old boss. You can call him and ask him about me. I’ve got nothing to hide here.”

“I still don’t trust him!” Penelope yells through the phone.

“But Penny, he’s our only hope right now! What if I just bring him in to look at the oven? Maybe he does know what’s wrong with it!”

“Nevermind, Simon. Enjoy your date, don’t worry about me, I’ll figure it out,” Penelope sighed and hung up.

“So?” Baz asks curiously from across the table. 

I look at Shepard, “How do you feel about some free scones for dessert?”

“Sounds good to me,” Shepard says with a smile. 

“I’m sorry Baz,” I say, “This probably wasn’t the way you wanted the date to go, but this really is a bit of an emergency.”

“No, I understand Simon,” Baz says, waving the waiter over. “I’ll have dessert to-go please.”

“Of course,” the waiter says, taking Baz’s credit card and packaging the cake. 

“I’ll drive you two to the shop, it’ll be faster that way.”

“Thanks Baz!” I say.

We all pile into Baz’s bright red car and he drives to the cafe. We had muffins to bake and an oven fix!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is probably going to end very soon. There isn't much left to do besides Simon and Baz needing some alone time to talk things out. That will all happen very soon!


	14. Chapter 14

**_Baz_ **

We arrived at the cafe at a record time and Shepard went in with Simon to look at the oven while I found a parking spot. I ended up finding a spot two blocks away, which wasn’t surprising: it was dinner time and everyone was out to eat. Making my way quickly to the cafe doors, I push them open to an annoyed Penelope at the counter.

“So how’s the oven?” I asked cautiously.

“I don’t know, Simon and the Shepard guy are looking at it.”

I wait awkwardly for Simon to come out again, leaning against the counter as Niall restocks the coffee machine and wipe the counters. Ten minutes go by and Simon finally comes out of the kitchen with a big smile on his face.

“It’s fixed!” he exclaims happily. Penelope only stiffly thanks Shepard before they exchange numbers for any future technical problems. 

“Sorry about that,” Simons says, “I know tonight was supposed to be a date.”

“It’s no problem,” I say, “These kinds of things happen.”

We walk back outside, and towards town square. There was an ice rink set up for the holidays and each round you pay for lasted about an hour and a half before you had to get off.

“Wanna go for a walk?” I ask.

“Sure,” Simon says. 

I start leading us towards the ice rink, making sure I wouldn’t accidentally lose Simon in the crowd of people on the busier part of this city. 

“So,” I say, “I think we have something we need to talk about.”

“Yeah?”

“We- we need to talk about what happened on Halloween.”

Simon looks up, fear in his eyes, “I- I totally understand if you don’t mean anything that night. I’m sorry I kissed you and everything! I was drunk and like I wasn’t thinking or-”

“Simon,” I interrupt him. “I should be the one that’s sorry. I was the one that helped your ex break up with you, that was wrong of me.”

“Baz, if you didn’t help Agatha break up with me, I wouldn’t have met you,” Simon says, eyes finally meeting mine. They were so blue, like the morning sky on a perfect summer day. 

I sighed, “Simon, I think I just need to say this,” I paused, “I like you, like,  _ like-like _ you. I have a crush on you, or I’m attracted to you. However way I can say I like you more than a friend.”

He smiles a kind of smile that feels like hot chocolate for someone’s soul. Like this smile could literally cure world hunger if he tried hard enough. “I like you too, Baz.”

I feel a smile take over my face as I reach down to grab his hand. It’s so warm in mine. It fits so perfectly too, like it was meant to be there. 

“How do you feel about ice skating?” I ask, gesturing to the ice rink. 

“It sounds great but I’m pretty sure I’ll end up falling on my butt at least four times,” Simon says, chuckling. 

“I can help you, I’ve been ice skating a few times with my family back in London.”

“Okay.”

We pay for some tickets and rent some ice skates in our size. Stepping on the ice, I give a hand for Simon to hold onto. I pull him on the ice and he reaches for the railing, legs wobbling as he tries to steady himself. 

“It’s okay,” I say, “Just lean forward a little and that’ll help with balancing.”

Simon leans forward ever so slightly, looking a little steadier already. After showing him how to bend his knees and position his feet, I let go of his hand slowly and he manages to stand by himself before falling on the ice when he tried to move. 

I laugh a little before pulling him back onto his feet. Taking his hands, I lead him through the ice, in little circles until he lets go my hands and starts skating little bits at a time, grabbing the railing from time to time when he gets unsteady. 

We stay on the rink until the round is over and we both get off the ice, exhausted from skating and cold from the ice. We head back to my car and get in. I turn the heater on to warm us up from the cold night.

“That was fun,” Simon says.

“Yeah,” I say, “You’re going to be great at skating with a few more days. Do you want to come back sometime?”

“Of course!” Simon says, “That sounds great! Maybe we can even invite Penelope before they take down the rink!”

“Mhm.”

The rest of the drive to Simon’s place was quiet. I stop right in front of the lobby for Simon to get in.

“So,” he says, not opening the door, “When can we do this again?”

“Well, there’s a movie that I’ve been wanting to see that’ll be out in a couple of days, how about that?”

“Great!” Simon says, smiling again.

I take that moment, throwing my thoughts out the window as I lean in and press my lips on Simon’s cheek. He blushes ferociously before he turns to me and presses his lips on mine. 

They’re so soft and warm. Just like the first time I kissed him. My hand cradles his cheek and his hands are lost in my hair. Finally pulling away, Simon says, “So are we boyfriends now?”

“After one kiss when we’re sober?” I ask teasingly.

“Why not? We can be terrible boyfriends who are awkward, hold hands, and go ice skating.”

“Sure, don’t see any harm in that.”

Simon giggles before climbing out of the car and waving goodbye. I can only sit in the car for a few extra seconds, did that just happen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost done! The next chapter will be an epilogue, maybe a little longer than all of the other chapters! It's definitely been fun writing this fic, but I've got a lot of new ideas for the future so like all good things (if this fic was even good) it has to end. (TTvTT)


	15. Epilogue

**_Simon_ **

It’s Baz and I’s one year anniversary. It’s still a little hard to believe as I throw on a coat and tie my shoes. A few months after we started dating, I moved in with Baz. Luckily, Penelope also happened to find a new roommate. And who was that roommate? You might ask.

Well, it was no other than Shepard. Who she highly distrusted until she got to know him better. They started dating fairly quickly and both Baz and I found it ironic that they did. After all, it was Penelope who didn’t want Shepard to fix the oven in the shop that one night.

Speaking of the shop, it’s been thriving. The business we got from the holidays greatly benefitted us even after new years. We gained so many regular customers we’ve thought of expanding the seating area. The hair salon next door is planning to close by next year and Penelope and I have discussed buying it so we can expand. We’ve collected quite a bit of cash over the year.

Niall’s been amazing working with us; I suspect that most of our success was from him. I don’t even know how to start thanking him and everyone else for contributing so much to the little shop Penelope and I started just for nostalgia. 

Baz comes out of the bathroom, fully dressed, and ready to go.

“You ready to head down to the skating rink?” he asks.

“Yeah!” I say, “Is Erica going to be there too?”

“I think so, she did say she’ll try to make it.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait to see everyone.”

“You do know Erica is going to get annoyed at us very quickly right?” Baz asks.

“Well if it has anything to do with her being single, she just needs to confess to Niall already!”

Baz laughs, “I already told her that! But she told me that it won’t be as easy as it will be for me and you!”

I find myself bursting into laughter as well, “Little does she know that we tried to confess and failed multiple times.”

“It’s fine, we can just tell Niall for her like how Niall asked you out for me!”

I shoot him a wicked grin, “Whatever it takes to save the shipwreck, huh?”

Baz grins as well, “Whatever it takes.”

I take his hand as we walk out the door, down the elevator, into the streets, and towards town square.

**_Baz_ **

This is the day it happens, I tell myself. The little cube-shaped box is sitting comfortably in my pocket as we walk to town square for the ice skating rink. Simon spots Penelope and immediately lets go of my hand to give her a hug.

I greet Shepard and see Erica and Niall approaching us from the other side of the rink, ice skates ready. 

“When did you two get here?” I ask them, raising a brow.

“We got here ten minutes ago, slowpoke!” Erica says. 

“Whatever,” I say, “Simon, let’s go get our ice skates.”

“Okay,” he says.

We head over to the booth, buy two tickets, and rent a pair of skates. Pulling them on and leaving our shoes by one of the benches we walk over to the rink, laughing as we stumble on the foam awkwardly. Instead of coming to the rink at night like last year, we decided to come in the afternoon when there were fewer people.

Penelope and Shepard stumble on the ice behind us, interlocking hands as they both wobble on the ice. I try to hold in my laugh as I skate circles around them. Simon was currently in the process of outskating me, almost like a game of tag as he dodges other people to get away from me.

“Simon!” I yell, “Come back here!”

“Not until you can catch me!” he calls.

“Oh, it’s on!” I push off the ice a little harder and zip around people to catch up with Simon. The rink was quite small and I considered just waiting for him to skate a whole circle and right into me, but that didn’t seem as fun as catching him on my own. 

He didn’t seem to notice that I had caught up because he practically jumped out of his skin when I wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Caught you!” I laugh.

“Hey, not fair! There were so many people for you to hide in! Plus, you’re taller than me so you can see easier!” he pouts. 

“Too bad, I still caught you!”

I was met with a little push and I felt myself losing balance so I kept my hold around Simon even tighter, bring him down with me. 

“Let go Baz! You were supposed to fall on your own!” Simon screams as we fall on the slippery ice together.”

“Well, your plan wasn’t very well thought out if you came down with me!” I mock.

“I’ll get you next time!”

I laugh as I stand up from the ice and pull Simon up as well. “Well, next time, I’ll be playing even harder so you better be prepared.”

“Oh, I will,” Simon says.

“Well, since you’re planning,” I say, heart thumping harder than ever, I get down on one knee, “Plan on marrying me?” I take the cube box from my pocket and open it to a rose gold ring with a modest line of little diamonds. 

Simon opens his mouth then closes it again, I can see his eyes start watering before he croaks out a “yes.”

I laugh with relief and happiness as I slip the ring on his finger and pull him in for a hug and kiss. 

“Did you plan all this?” Simon asks.

“Not really, I just went shopping for a ring and decided to propose today. I was just taking the chance I got.”

“Well, you got lucky because damn, it was smooth as hell,” Simon half sobs and half laughs out.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Erica dragging Niall over.

“Did you guys just get engaged?” she shrieked.

“Yeah,” Simon says.

“Oh my god! Yes! Niall, you owe me twenty bucks! I told you Baz was gonna do it today!”

Niall groans as he takes a twenty-dollar bill out of his pocket. “You win this time, but my bets are saying that Baz’s dad is not coming to the wedding.”

“Oh yeah?” Erica challenged, “Another twenty bucks if he does show up!”

“Deal.”

I look back and forth between the two. “Hey, Simon?”

“Yeah?”

“Twenty dollars and a sour cherry scone to say that Erica and Niall will be dating before we get married?”

“Okay,” Simon says, “But they have to ask each other out.”

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for going along on this wild random adventure with me as I write my first ever fanfic. It might be hard to believe because of all of the other fics I've posted on this account, but this was the one that I first started on and I just want to thank everyone for the love and support! You guys all mean a lot to me! (^-^)


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